Southern California cultural institutions are currently celebrating Latin American and Latino/a art through Pacific Standard Time, a collaborative effort initiated by the Getty Foundation. From San Diego to Santa Barbara, museums, libraries, and galleries are mounting exhibitions about ancient or pre-modern worlds, others are hosting studies of individual artists in the modern and contemporary environments.

The UC San Diego Library has chosen to draw on one of its strengths and explore Latin American and Latino/a artists’ books published in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The artists hail from Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Uruguay, Cuba, and the United States. All of the works exhibited are drawn from Special Collections & Archives, which houses the Library’s extensive collection of artists’ books.

Artists’ books go beyond the traditional book format in their wide-ranging use of materials and methods of presentation. Artists’ books may be accordion, scroll, box, sculpture, painted, or any other form. They can be in a variety of media. The subject matter can be anything, and they may be unique or mass produced. Books selected for this exhibition provide examples of the richness of the artists’ books collection in the UC San Diego Library as well as acknowledge the significance of Latin American and Latino/a resources to the UC San Diego community.

A complementary exhibit highlighting Latin American and Latino/a art from the Library’s Arts Collection is on view near the Media Desk on the 1st floor. The Library has pulled together publications from the Arts Collection including related exhibition catalogues, museum catalogues, monographs, and other print documentation. Enjoy!

The long-awaited and much-needed renovation of the interior spaces of Geisel Library continues to move forward as Winter Quarter kicks off. Geisel’s 8th floor will remain closed through Winter Quarter 2018 in order to create an updated, modern space for individual study. Construction work is ongoing and the 8th floor is expected to reopen in Spring Quarter 2018. Simultaneously, the restrooms on Geisel’s floors 4 – 7 continue to undergo renovation with the addition of new ADA-accessible and gender-neutral restrooms on each floor.

Throughout the course of the restroom renovations, Geisel’s floors 4 – 7 will remain open, and there will be restroom access on each floor at all times. Restroom renovations on floors 4 – 7 are expected to be completed in late Spring Quarter 2018. Generally, construction will occur in one shift, from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Exceptions may occur and Library staff will notify users in advance when possible.

With the continuing need to provide quiet study space, Geisel’s 7th floor continues to serve as the temporary silent study floor during the closure of the 8th floor, and the Biomedical Library Building has been declared a Quiet Building indefinitely. The collection of oversized materials that was on Geisel’s 8th floor has been moved to the 6th floor. The Roger catalog can be used to find the current locations of any books.

The renovation of the 8th floor marks the next phase of the Geisel Library Revitalization Initiative (GLRI), which began in 2015 with the construction of Audrey’s Café. Responding to student, faculty, and staff feedback, the renovation sets out to transform the interior public spaces of Geisel Library by dramatically enhancing the user experience through modern, technology-rich spaces that advance research and learning.

The UC San Diego Library is pleased to announce the launch of our latest digital collection, the Paul Blackburn Audio Collection. These digitized recordings feature poetry readings, lectures, conversations, and correspondence recorded on reel-to-reel tape by Paul Blackburn from 1960 to 1971 in New York City.

Blackburn was a cornerstone of the New York Poetry scene – In addition to writing his own poetry and translating such writers as Octavio Paz and Julio Cortázar, Blackburn played an important role in organizing and attending poetry readings throughout New York City and hosted his own poetry radio show, Contemporary Poetry on WBAI in New York. These events provided opportunities for both established and unknown writers to participate in the New York poetry community. He recorded these readings, lectures, conversations about poetry with friends, as well as radio and news broadcasts.

The editor of Blackburn’s posthumously published Collected Poems (1985), Edith Jarolim, has called this collection “the most comprehensive oral history of the New York poetry scene between the late 1950s and 1970.” An example of its rarities is the only known recording of an interview by the poet Mina Loy. Among others, the collection includes recordings of

The first release of this collection includes over 100 recordings featuring over 100 poets, now available for streaming. Subsequent releases will bring the total number of recordings to over 200 available for online streaming and about 50 descriptions of recordings that can be made available onsite at UC San Diego Library’s Special Collections & Archives. We anticipate having the entire digital collection complete by February 2018. Read more…

Ted Schwartz and Paliau Maloat, founder of the Paliau Movement, in Central Park, New York, 1970.

The UC San Diego Library recently received a generous gift to create the Schwartz Library Collection Endowment for Melanesian/Anthropology Studies, in honor of UC San Diego Professor Emeritus Theodore (Ted) Schwartz, a prominent figure in psychological anthropology. The fund will support in perpetuity the Library’s distinguished Melanesian and Anthropology Studies Collection. In addition to the endowed fund, Schwartz’s personal papers have been donated to the Library’s Special Collections & Archives, where they will be available for use by scholars, researchers, and educators.

“We are delighted to make this gift to honor the work of my uncle, Theodore Schwartz, in Melanesian Studies and support the excellence of the Library’s collections in this area of distinction for UC San Diego,” said Steve and Paula Mae Schwartz. “This endowed fund will ensure that Ted’s research and the Library’s collections in Melanesian and Anthropology Studies are preserved and accessible to scholars at UC San Diego and around the world.”

Photo album.

More than 80 boxes of Schwartz’s personal papers were donated to the Library, which include correspondence with notable anthropologists, expedition notebooks, lecture notes, and photographs from expeditions. Significant amounts of film and audio clips have also been donated, including footage of his early work with the well-known cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead. The collection provides insights to Schwartz’s work, which consisted of extensive documentation capturing indigenous languages, interviews, genealogies, and reflects his methodical approach and comprehensive data analysis. Read more…

The Digital Library Development Program, working with the Library’s Digital User Services, conducted a 3-question quick poll on the Digital Collections site, July 7-17, 2017 in order to gain insight into who was using our digital collections and for what purpose. Getting data on digital content has never been easier with Google Analytics (GA) – We can quickly gather statistics on page hits or duration of a visit, and even how users found our content. However, we have found that GA only provides one side of the story and we were hoping to find out more about our users. Who are the users of Digital Collections and how are they using our content? Is it an undergraduate student looking for primary source materials for a paper? A post-doc doing research in a lab? Is it a genealogist in Pennsylvania looking to find out more about her family? Knowing who is using the collections and how will help the Digital Library Development Program in making decisions regarding the design, what type of information to display, and even what type of content to pursue for our collections.

A half-century after its initial publication, poet Jerome Rothenberg’s brilliant anthology, Technicians of the Sacred, has been revised and expanded, and newly issued by the University of California Press.

The UC San Diego Library will host a celebration of Technicians ofthe Sacred on Thursday, October 19 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. in Geisel’s Seuss Room with a reception to follow. Rothenberg and five other poets—Rae Armantrout, Ben Doller, Sandra Doller, John Bloomberg-Rissman, and Wai-lim Yip—will read from the volume.

Hailed by the Los Angeles Times as one of the hundred most recommended American books of the late 20th century, Technicians of the Sacred has exposed generations of readers to the multiple possibilities of poetry throughout the world. This new edition provides readers with a wealth of newly gathered and translated texts from recently reinvigorated indigenous cultures, bringing the volume into the present and further extending the range and depth of what we recognize and read as poetry.

An emeritus professor of visual arts and literature at UC San Diego, Rothenberg has published more than 80 books, spanning poetry, translation, and assemblage. His extensive personal and professional archive is held in Special Collections & Archives at the UC San Diego Library.

On March 25, UC San Diego officially launched the Campaign for UC San Diego, a $2 billion comprehensive fundraising effort to transform the student experience and the campus, with worldwide impacts. The public launch of the Campaign was celebrated at a technology-rich event at the campus’ RIMAC arena, where guests were awed by a dynamic multimedia experience, showcasing innovation and experimentation, and underscoring the university’s unconventional history.

The Campaign for UC San Diego will help fund three key priorities: enhancing the student experience; enriching our campus community; and sparking research and innovation. With the support of UC San Diego friends, alumni, and parents, the university aims to boost investments in these areas to fuel innovative treatments and solutions to the world’s most pressing problems.

Given the essential role the UC San Diego Library plays in sparking research and innovation at the university, the Library’s campaign priorities are well-aligned with those of the campus. A top priority for the Library and the campus is to raise additional funds to support the Geisel Library Revitalization Initiative (GLRI). Because of the significance of the initiative for student learning and the campus overall, Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla has agreed to match gifts raised up to $1 million, doubling the impact of other contributions. Donations to the GLRI are designated to support renovation or maintenance activities.

“We are seeking support for a multi-million dollar initiative to transform the first, second, and eighth floors in Geisel Library into modern, collaborative, technology-rich spaces that advance the learning and research efforts of our talented students and researchers,” said University Librarian Brian Schottlaender. Read more…

Between now and the end of the academic year, Schottlaender, who recently announced his plans to retire in June 2017, said he will focus his energies on raising funds for the Geisel Library Revitalization Initiative, a top priority for the Library and the campus. In addition, he has made a planned gift for the GLRI Maintenance Endowment.

“I can’t think of a higher priority for the campus and for our students, especially, than raising the funds we need to revitalize the major interior spaces of this architecturally stunning landmark building,” said Schottlaender. “Our students are among the most academically competitive in the nation. They spend an awful lot of time here, and deserve the most advanced, technology-equipped spaces we can offer, to accelerate their learning and discovery. This is why I made this gift to support the GLRI and why I would encourage others to consider supporting it.”

UC San Diego alumna Geraldine “Gerry” McAllister, a strong advocate for the arts on campus during her 25-year stint as director of the university’s Mandeville Art Gallery, has donated her collection of artists’ books to the Library’s Special Collections & Archives. McAllister, who received her B.A. degree and subsequently her M.F.A. from the university in 1974, also served as president of the UCSD Alumni Association, and was its first dues-paying Life Member.

After receiving her M.F.A., McAllister worked as director and curator of the university’s Mandeville Art Gallery for the next two decades, where she exhibited the works of many prominent contemporary artists. In spite of her modest budget, McAllister—who was known on campus and in the art world as a bold mover and shaker—succeeded in bringing in numerous well-established artists, including a traveling exhibit of paintings by Frida Kahlo.

McAllister, who studied visual arts, and was married to artist Adare McAllister until his death in 2012, began collecting contemporary artists’ books in the 1980’s. Her collection of 128 artists’ books comprises several rare and valuable works by well-known regional as well as international artists, some with strong university ties. The collection includes works by John Baldessari, Chris Burden, Jenny Holzer, Edward Ruscha, and Niki de Saint-Phalle, as well as art by Alexis Smith, Kara Walker, Allan Kaprow, and Bruce Nauman. Read more…

Special Collections & Archives Exhibition

April 10, 2017 – May 26, 2017 ● Geisel Library, 2nd (main) floor

Exhibition Reception

Tuesday, April 18, 2017 ● 5 – 7 PM ● Geisel Library, Seuss Room

Countless artists have been inspired over the last century by the distinctive beauty of the magnificent Torrey pines—the world’s rarest pine tree—at the 1,500 acre Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, San Diego’s most treasured coastal park. Of the many plein air artists to capture images of the trees and the park, Tsuyoshi Matsumoto—known as Mat—stands out, not just for the particular beauty of his sketches, but also for the devotion and attention he gave to his subject matter.

In a collaboration between the UC San Diego Library and the artist’s daughter, La Jolla resident Helen Kagan, a selection of Mat’s drawings and sketch books is now on display in Geisel Library’s West Wing. A self-taught artist, Mat began drawing pine trees in the late 1960’s. After visiting La Jolla and the Reserve when he was looking for a place to retire, the trees and the park made an indelible impression on him, and in 1973, he moved his family to La Jolla. Over the next decade and in the years preceding his death in 1982, Mat was a frequent visitor to the Reserve, producing some 800 drawings of Torrey pines, trees that he clearly worshipped and had a special affinity with. The pine tree has a favored status in Japanese culture, symbolizing good luck and longevity—and, furthermore, “Matsumoto” means “root of the pine.”